Prof. Li Fengmin's team under the College of Environmental Science and Engineering of Ocean University of China (OUC) successfully prepared a biodegradable and reusable chitin/carbon nanocomposite material, together with its foreign collaborators. The progress makes it possible to achieve efficient removal of microplastics in water environment. The study reveals the main mechanism of adsorption, which is significant to the studying of environmental behavior, quantitative determination and pollution control of microplastics in aqueous environment. The research outcomes have been published in top journals in this field, including Chemical Engineering Journal and Journal of hazardous materials.

Microplastic pollution has become a hotspot environmental issue worldwide, making the removal of microplastics from water bodies an urgent task in ensuring water quality safety and water ecological security. Adsorption is a relatively simple and efficient method to remove pollutants from water bodies, but the existing adsorbent materials cannot achieve efficient removal of microplastics.